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Biofuels Nissan Leaf Nismo RC at 2011 NYC auto show

Published on August 24th, 2011 | by Breath on the Wind

10

Could YOU Drive an EV? – Part I: EV Profiler

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August 24th, 2011 by  

Nissan Leaf Nismo RC at 2011 NYC auto show

Electric Vehicles are a relatively new possibility. Fleet owners and consumers need to know if an electric vehicle will provide a sufficient range with their present driving habits. It is possible to make estimates based upon EPA vehicle ranges but the EV Profiler is a sensor that is plugged into your vehicle and a system that can provide hard real world data. While fleet owners may especially need this kind of documentation, consumers may find it reassuring as they anticipate purchasing an electric car.

Driving Data Recorder

The system operates by combining a GPS unit, a Driving Data Recorder and a cellular connection with online software. The device, known as a DDR, is suction cupped to your present vehicle windscreen and plugged into the car’s utility 12 volt outlet. The unit then tracks and stores information on your driving, including altitude, acceleration, distance traveled and route. Some information like temperature may be gathered from other sources. Every evening, around 7PM, the DDR sends this information to the company computers which results in your receiving a daily analysis in your email.

HOW THE EV PROFILER WORKS

The report is based upon you initially selecting a specific vehicle, as it is matching your driving to the vehicle’s performance stats. It also assumes you started the day with a full charge. The EV Profiler is not going to select the best EV for your situation. You can play a bit of “what if,” by going to the website. Present choices are the Volt, the Leaf and the Tesla Model S, but more will be available and the web site gives some preview of EV additions.

The reports provide a wealth of information in five sections. Although this analysis is dedicated to EV range, fleet operators may find the information useful for other applications when compared with fleet vehicle information. It would be interesting to compare the stats to actual electric vehicle performance, and developers may someday do this. The program must assume average driving and the results will likely be different if hypermiling techniques are used.

Rental on the unit is $25.00 weekly and $82.00 monthly. The shipping cost and time is not included and there is a $5/day late fee. There are electric car simulator iphone apps, but the company found them less accurate than the present, dedicated device.

EV range is an element of consumer acceptance of electric vehicles with many perspectives. I have previously considered several implications and solutions to EV range. This article introduces the EV profiler and its use in comparing available electric vehicles to your present driving conditions. In future articles of this series I will address EV costs and other concerns.

Top photo: Nissan Nismo RC from 2011 NYC auto show
Other photos from EV Profiler

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About the Author

We share this World; its past, present resources and our combined future. With every aspiration, the very molecules we use for life are passed to others through time and space so that each of us may be considered a Breath on the Wind. This part of the world's consciousness lives in NYC; has worked in law, research, construction, engineering; has traveled, often drawn to Asia; writes on Energy and Electric Vehicle issues and looks forward to all your comments.   "If you would persuade, you must appeal to interest rather than intellect." -- Benjamin Franklin


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  • euroflycars

    To Bob_Wallace:

    I’m afraid overkill isn’t the correct guess — I’d rather suggest Big Oil is luring behind this facility.

    The fact that the device does not compute your figures by itself may mean that the remote service is tuned to return biaised results in order to deter you from buying an EV at all!!

    Don’t let’s be naive as to who is the relentless killer of the electric car…

    • Breath on the Wind

      In the article I suggested that information (like temperature from weather services) might be combined with your car data to support the report. We could suggest many different conspiracies behind every marketed device. However even when the suspicions are accurate they become a tempting excuse for why we cannot achieve our goals. Shouldn’t we strive to succeed dispite all obstacles?

  • Anonymous

    Saw that, thanks for the share here though :D

  • Anonymous

    Better question??? How far along is our rooftop solar infrastructure? Many other countries (China, Israel, Germany etc.) are moving right into swappable batteries using their rooftop solar. This results in a near 0 fuel cost after ROI. Extending the range is just a matter of swapping out the battery – not sitting and waiting for a charge. Some forward thinking car and electric bike manufacturers are already hooking up with solar installers. The savings over the 20-25 year life of the solar may surpass the cost of the vehicle. Foldable solar units can serve as a jump starter in many areas. $250 a month x 12 = $3000 per year = $36,000 over 12 years. America need to quit putting this money in the oil, bank and utility companies pockets. Let the average consumer partake in the benefits from the free energy of the sun.

    Using a universal electrical standard for the batteries should be mandatory worldwide.

    • Breath on the Wind

      I very much doubt that we will achieve a world wide standard of voltage/frequency on the grid. At this point it would be too large a change in infrastructure.

      It is true that most cars sit 23 out of 24 hours. You just need to make sure that you don’t park in the shade. But there is not enough area on a vehicle to recharge a battery with vehicle solar alone. Stationary solar would also be required. ROI for solar depends upon the amount of costs offset. Using an EV may allow you to offset the price of petrol if that is your alternative. Overall using an EV can increase the ROI (and lower the “payback period.”) Using an EV + solar will also allow you to calculate the number of solar miles driven: http://evworld.com/article.cfm?storyid=1733

  • Anonymous

    I went on the Ford site because I was interested in the Focus EV. And although I daily drive my Ford Ranger EV, their site suggested I need a plug-in hybrid rather than a straight BEV. I wonder if this dodad would provide any better results.

    • Breath on the Wind

      An actual measurement such as with the EV Proviler is probably more accurate, however, as mentioned in the article, hypermiling techniques will probably skew the results. Imagine drafting an 18 wheeler for your journey compared to constantly alternating between the brakes and the accelerator. Fuel consumption will vary substantially. Your case may be borderline. Ford wants you to be happy and therefore will tend to be conservative with its suggestions. I suspect that the Focus EV will have a better efficiency (kw-hrs / mile) than the Ranger. If the Total KW-hrs capacity of the battery is also larger will be fine. In the next article in this series there is going to be a lot of calculations that may also be of some help to you.

  • Anonymous

    And this is superior to a pencil and a piece of paper how?

    All one needs to do is to write down the last three digits of their odometer daily and make a note of any unusual driving.

    Fleets should already have daily mileage estimates. They should be keeping mileage records for maintenance and vehicle replacement if for no other reason.

    This just seems like overkill….

    • Anonymous

      But Bob, you know how people are. They need the technology, the gadget, need their hand held. This should help some folks, I imagine.

    • Breath on the Wind

      It is a fair question Bob. If someone gets an email from Bob Wallace telling them that their mileage is suitable for an EV driver they may not find it as credible as if they were to read it in the Wall Street Journal. For the fleet manager to provide documentation from EV Profiler it eliminates some potential for fudging data and illuminates various computations that may be helpful to decision makers. As I mentioned in the article, private owners may also find it reassuring, but a smart fellow with a sharp pencil may be satisfied with their own handiwork.

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